Thirty-five children from Hardin, KY, and Meade, KY, counties are riding around on new-to-them bicycles thanks to Glenn’s Auto Body in Radcliff, KY.

Glenn’s Auto Body workers repaired old bikes that were donated and for Christmas gifted them to children in the community who were in need. Glenn Bieber, owner of the body shop, said he has had his business in Radcliff for 30 years and has been blessed with numerous customers.

Glenn said repairing and gifting the bikes to children who don’t have any was just one way to give back to the community that has been so good to them.

Dusty Jones, who has worked at Glenn’s Auto Body for more than 20 years, was a big contributor to the idea. He, along with others at the shop, completed the repair work on the bicycles. He worked on the bikes before work, during lunch and during work hours to have them ready to give to children for Christmas.

This is the second time that the auto body shop employees have repaired bicycles to give to children.

The auto body shop employees found children to donate bikes to through connections of Glenn’s wife, Utona, a retired school teacher and principal. She contacted schools she previously worked with about children needing bicycles.

Utona said Craig Buchanan, family resource coordinator for Radcliff and North Park elementary schools, was glad to get the bicycles for the students. She also contacted Flaherty Elementary School. Meade County Schools Secondary Instructional Supervisor KelliAnn Wilson and her husband came and loaded up their trailer full of bikes for students---most in the Muldraugh area.

“We are making a difference and paying it forward to the children in our community,” she said.

Last year, Glenn sometimes stopped at Edwards Recycling in Radcliff on his lunch breaks and purchased bicycles to be fixed. Once the recycling center learned of the mission, they started laying bikes to the side for Bieber to pick up for free.

Pam Lippe of Edwards Recycling said they were glad to be a part of this mission for children.

“I think it is awesome,” she said.

Next year, Jones said their goal is to repair and gift 100 bicycles to children in the surrounding area.

If people in the community want to help by donating bicycles, they can drop bikes off at Glenn’s Auto Body, 4464 Deckard School Rd. in Radcliff, during business hours or at Edwards Recycling in Radcliff.